Fastener setting tool



Dec. 19, 1961 J. BARRATT FASTENER SETTING Toor.

Filed Feb. 15, 1961 INVENTOR Jese Hiermit ATTORNEY 3,013,272 Patented Dec. 19, 1.96.1

3,013,272 FASTENER SETTING TOOL .lesse Barratt, Middlebury, Conn., assignor to Scovll Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Feb. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 88,851 Claims. (Cl. 1-31"7) This invention relates to dies or tools for setting the socket element of snap fastener members upon garments and particularly that type of fastener shown in the Fenton latent 2,106,728 generally known as a laundry-proof fastener.

Heretofore, in setting fasteners of the above type, it has been customary to cause the descending punch to pick up the socket member from a pair of holding jaws and carry it down to the garment upon which it is to be attached. During that period, after the fastener socket was released from the jaws and before attachment to the garment, it was normally left free in mid-air so that frequently the socket became dislodged from the end of the setting tool and shifted to one side sufliciently to be out of alignment with the setting station. As a result, the socket would be completely mutilated or otherwise so defectively set upon the garment as to make it worthless.

One of the purposes of this invention therefore, is to improve the setting tools so that the socket member can be accurately retained at all times properly aligned with its complementary fastener securing part.

A common practice in setting socket fasteners upon garments is to size the spring fingers of the socket membeiby causing a tapering punch to enter the fingers up to a predetermined position; but one of the faults in this sizing operation is that the spring lingers grip upon the sizing tool and upon the ascent of the setting tool after the setting operation, the fastener socket along with the cloth to which it is attached, would be drawn upwardly with the tool to such an extent that it would seriously interfere or disrupt the proper setting position of the subsequent fastener on the same garment.

To overcome this fault, another object of the invention is to provide a member formed as a part of the setting tool which functions both as an anvil support and as a stripper sleeve to assure that after the fastener is completely set, and as soon vas the tool starts to ascend, the fastener element will be immediately stripped off the sizing punch to prevent any disrupting movement of the garment to which the socket memberfis set.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel arrangements and combination of parts which will hereinafter be more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawing showing a preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the, fastener setting tool embodying my invention, the tool having de,- scended to the position of contacting the socket element in the holding jaws;

FIG. 2 is a view of the lower end of the tool in its normal inactive position showing the relative position of the tool to the holding jaws;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the tool at the position where it has forced the socket element out ofthe holding jaws;

FIG. 4 is a similar view showing the tool at the end of the stroke of the fastener setting operation;

FIG. 5 is a similar view showing the tool starting to ascend and the socket element partially stripped olf the sizing punch; and,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the lower end of the sizing punch.

The laundry-proof snap fastener that this invention is adapted to set upon a garment is shown in the several views and consists of socket member lill and an attaching prong ring l1. The socket member 1li is formed with a -"series of resilient lingers 12 having inturned lips 12a at their upper ends and with their lower ends joined to a prong-diverting anvil portion 13, the latter terminating in'a clincher rim 14. The prong ring 11 has an annular ring 15 with a series of pointed prongs 16 projecting upwardly from its inner periphery.

The' tools for setting lthe above fastener upon agarment piece consist essentially of an anvil die 17 upon which the prong ring 11 is supported and a setting tool generally indicated by the numeral 18, carried by a reciprocating plunger '19 ,ofl a conventional fastener attaching machine. Associated with the tool 1d is a pair of socket-retaining jaws 2li serving to hold the socket member 1t? in alignment with the tool 18, and associated with the anvil die 17 is a set of jaws 17a to hold the prong ring upon said die in place as shown in FG. 2 preliminary to the setting operation.

The setting tool 18 is made up of several parts, all of which contribute to an improved setting of the socket member upon a garment G. The tool 18 consists of a housing member 21, having anV upper reduced portion 22 fitted into the plunger 19 and held in place by a set Screw (not shown). Theupper reduced portion 22 is provided with a hollow chamber` 2.3 having its walls threaded throughout their entire length for receiving the threading enlarged part 2d of a hollow sizing punch 25. The upper end of the enlarged part is provided with a recessed socket 2 6 in whicha suitable wrench maybe inserted for adjusting the siZingpunCh. After adjustment of the sizingl punch, the latter may be locked in adjusted po.- sition byv a set screw 27 threaded into the upper end of thehollow chamber 2.3 into abutment with the adjacent upper end of the sizing punch enlarged. part 24. The specific shape ofthe workend of the sizing punch 2S is best shown inV FIG. 6 where said punch is shown as having a tapered portion 28, a reduced cylindrical por.- tion 29 yand a lead-in lradius 3u terminating the end of said punch for reasonsas will'app'ear later. n

To' provide a means for preventing any misalignment of the socket member 1li during its drop from the jaws Ztl, to a rest portion on the garment support piece G, a spring-loaded yguide pin 31 iS provided having a slidable lit axially within the hollow of the sizing punch 25 and normally projecting aconsiderable distance below said sizing punchas seenin FIG. 1. The guide pin. 31 is formed with an enlarged head 32 atY its upper end slidably tted in a suitable bore 33 in the enlarged part 24 of the'sizing punch 25 andwabutted against a shoulder 34V as a stop. A light spring 35 is conned in the bore 33 and'compressed between the lenlarged head 32 and adjusting screw 3,5 threaded in a tapped hole 37 at the upper end ofbore 33.

Another improvement in this setting tool is in the employment of a spring-loaded anvil support and strippery sleeve 38 that is carried by the housing member. 2,1. The upper portion of the sleeve 38 is slidably tittedy on a lower reducedl portion 22a of the housing member 2 1 and,

operates within predetermined. limits as defined by a pair of opposed elongated openingsl 39,. cooperating with cylindrically headed screws il threaded in suitable openingsYA in the lower reduced portion 22g of the housing member 21. The lower end of the sleeve 38 is formed with a die head 41 having a central opening 42 for slidable engagement with the sizing punch 25. The lower end of the die head 41 is formed with a die surface 43 adapted to conform to and back up the anvil portion 13 of the socket member 1t) for reasons as will appear later. The end of the die head is also provided with a counter recess 44 as a clearance for the socket resilient fingers 12 as seen in FIG. 1. The stripper sleeve 38 is normally stressed downwardly by a relatively heavy coiled spring 45 compressed between the die head 41 and adjacent end of the housing lower reduced portion 22a.

In the operation of this fastener setting tool, a prong ring 11 will first be deposited on 'top of the anvil die 17 and held there in place by the usual jaws 17 a. At the same time, a socket member 1) is fed into the holding end of the jaws 20 and positioned relative to the setting tool as seen in FIG. 2. A garment support piece G will then be positioned between the die 17 and the setting tool 18 and rest upon the jaws 17a slightly above the prong ring 11.

During the initial stroke of the setting tool 18, the die head 41 of the stripper sleeve 38 will first contact the socket member 1f) and force it out of the jaws 20 after which the socket member will fall by gravity to rest upon the garment support piece G as shown in FIG. 3. It will be observed that during this free-falling period of the socket, the leading end of the guide pin 31 will have preceded the fallen socket member in making contact with the garment piece so that if there is a tendency to ip the socket to one side in freeing the same from the jaws 20, the socket will be more or less centralized by said guide pin 31.

The next step of the setting operation is for the die head 41 of the stripper sleeve 38 to contact the anvil portion 13 of the socket and force it against the garment support piece G and downwardly into clinching engagement with the prong 16 of the prong ring 11, as shown in FIG. 4. It will be noted from this figure that the die surface 43 of the die head 41 will conform to and back up the anvil portion 13 of the socket member so as to reinforce that portion of the socket member when initially contacting the sharp points of the prong 16 for directing them outwardly into clinching engagement with the socket clincher rim 14.

During the initial period of the setting operation, the reduced cylindrical portion 29 of the sizing punch 25 will enter the inturned lips 12a of the resilient fingers 12 for the purpose of straightening out the position of and to more positively centralize the socket member to the setting station. During the final setting operation, the stripper sleeve 38 will recede and the tapered portion 28 of the sizing punch 25 will enter the inturned lips and spread the fingers in proportion to the distance that the sizing punch enters said socket. This distance, of course, can be varied by adjusting the sizing punch 25 relative to the housing member 21 in accordance as to whether a hardaction socket or an easy-action socket is desired.

From FIG. 4, it will be noted that in the final setting operation, the inturned lips 12a of the socket fingers 12 are gripped upon the tapered portion 28 of the sizing punch. This would tend to draw the socket member and the attached garment support piece upwardly as the setting tool ascends. However, in view of the spring-loaded stripper sleeve 38 with its die head 41 always in contact with the socket member during the entire period of the setting operation, the latter will be immediately stripped from the sizing punch with no danger of disturbing the position of the garment piece relative to the setting station.

While I have disclosed only a single embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that other equivalent structures might readily be employed and come Within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. A tool for setting a resilient socket and an attaching prong ring on a support piece and wherein the socket has circularly arranged spring fingers for detachable engagement with a complemental stud member and also an anvil portion for upsetting the prongs of the attaching ring, said tool comprising a housing `adapted to be secured to a plunger of a fastener setting machine, a sizing punch mounted within said housing, said punch having a tapered portion adapted to enter the spring fingers of said socket for sizing the circle defined by the ends of said fingers, and a spring-loaded sleeve slidably mounted on said housing and movable between predetermined limits, said sleeve having a die head at its lower end, the die head having slidable engagement with said sizing punch and also having a die surface for backing the anvil portion of said socket coincident with the setting operation, said spring-loaded sleeve serving to immediately strip said socket from said sizing punch coincident with the up stroke of said setting tool.

2. A setting tool as defined by claim 1 wherein the sizing punch is adjustable in said housing for the purpose of controlling the distance that the tapered portion of the sizing punch is to enter the spring fingers.

3. A setting tool as defined in claim 1 wherein the sizing punch has a reduced cylindrical portion below the tapered portion for the purpose of first entering the spring fingers to centralize and stabilize the socket preliminary to the setting operation.

4. A tool for setting a resilient socket and an attach.

ing prong ring on a support piece and wherein the socket has circularly arranged spring fingers for detachable engagement with a complemental stud member and also an anvil portion for upsetting the prongs of the attaching ring, said tool comprising a housing adapted to be secured to a plunger of a fastener setting machine, a hollow sizing punch adjustably mounted within said housing, said punch having a tapered end adapted to enter the spring fingers of said socket for sizing the circle defined by the ends of said fingers, a spring-loaded guide pin slidable in said punch and having its lower end extending beyond said punch, and a spring loaded anvil support and stripper member surrounding said punch and carried by said housing, said member serving to back up the anvil portion of said socket and to immediately strip said socket from said sizing punch coincident with the up-stroke of said setting tool.

5. In a fastener setting machine for setting a resilient socket and an attaching prong ring on a support piece and wherein the socket has circularly arranged spring lingers for detachable engagement with a complemental stud member and also has an anvil portion for upsetting the prongs of the attaching ring, an anvil die, a pair of lower jaws for retaining the prong ring in position on said die, a setting tool comprising a housing adapted to be secured to the plunger of said fastener setting machine, a hollow sizing punch carried by said housing, said punch having a tapered end adapted to enter the spring lingers of said socket for sizing a circle defined by the ends of said fingers, a spring-loaded anvil support and stripper member slidably supported on said housing, a pair of upper jaws for holding the socket member in line with the setting tool and a spring-loaded guide pin slidable in said punch and having its lower end extending beyond said punch a sufficient distance to contact the support piece about the time that the anvil support and stripper member is releasing the socket member from the upper jaws.

No references cited, 

